need a farm volunteer, Klickitat county WA?

I am moving to Klickitat county Washington in August & would LOVE to chat with anyone who lives in the area or who would like to organize in & around that area... Projectperfectdayz@gmx.com

I will not & do NOT want to be an intern as fees to become one are complete bs in my opinion... If what is happening on the "farm" or whatever is NOT producing enough for food & lodging for the extra help the why bother joining up with ANOTHER corporate structure!

BUT, if indeed there are any WHOLESOME people that feel that money is no object then let me have it!

If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.
- Edison, Thomas A.

Wanted to let you know about the project we are getting going. We are looking for potential members to connect with and eventually join our 25 acrepermaculture homestead. This year is our first year and we are: putting in a bike powered well, a cobwood house, a renewable energy system, and a twist and twang lumber drying/greenhouse/ living space. We are located about 30 miles NW of Olympia. We are going to try to do a workshop on cobwood with rob roy next year. Please contact us if you'd like to inquire, dialogue, visit, or take part in workshops.

Summer/Fall Apprentice Opportunity Clear Water Sanctuary A cooperative Permaculture Homestead 20 miles northwest of Olympia WA
An apprentice would experience natural building including earth, cordwood and roundwood construction, reciprocating roofs, integrated greenhouses, barn-building and portable animal shelters, plasters and various earth recipes, off-grid water and energy systems, no-till forest gardening methods, pole-fencing, wild-crafting and a lot more. This will be a well-rounded and intensive learning experience in the sustainable arts. This needs to be a good match both ways. It’s a great opportunity for just the right folks wanting to learn a lot in a short time…by intensive hands-on experience. Here’s what we have to offer: besides the mentorship* (please see to learn more about the mentor) in Permaculture and natural building, a LOT of homestead skills will be in use and taught along the way. We can also offer to share an old-style farmhouse on a 100 acre cattle ranch nearby, complete with electricity, phone, clean hot & cold water, full kitchen and even a small hot tub we can set up. The ranch has a beautiful river that flows by. There’s also camping on Clear Water Sanctuary land, 25 acres of forest in-holding with a large clear, cold, creek that runs through. There’s room for 2-4 folks. The exchange covers the places to stay, a few bulk food staples, and intensive mentorship. Apprentices need to cover most of their own food and basic needs. This can be seen as a great deal because many students are paying lots of money to learn these skills in places that are more established. For a hearty soul eager to deepen their Permaculture design experience and broaden their natural building horizons, this could be a golden opportunity. If interested please contact clearwatersanctuary@yahoo.com 0r try calling 360-249-3166

I don't live anywhere near there but I do have a farm that takes helpers. I don't take money from our helpers and I don't give them money either. Money is a bummer. We mostly use the wwoofing style, or just get help from locals who want to learn and be outdoors.

We are in the long-term permaculture design process and don't make much money from our farm produce right now. In f Iact, right now we have three children under the age of three, I'm impressed

that we eat food and drink tea and use medicine that we farm. I'm

hoping for money surpluses down the line somewhere, like years

down the line.

Although I agree to a degree with your idea about producing value, I caution you to be thoughtful about your language. I know from many conversations that I am not the only farmer who is choosy about farm help. You are probably a hard worker and knowledgeable and helpful, but many good farmers would strike anyone who says things like your bs comment off the list. I only choose the kindest gentlest sounding helpers and this policy has served me exceedingly well.

I hope I don't seem rude, I just wanted to let you know for you're future success

Sorry for the poor editing, I use my phone and it's flawed as writing implements go

Dustin Wilkinson

Posts: 43

posted 4 years ago

Matu, THANK YOU for your response! VERY Helpful...

PLEASE... No worries! I just had to vent a tiny bit just to be sure that I didn't get a bunch of typical internship offers... the kinds I've gotten anyhow! Besides understanding that we only just met... I'm not a "hardcore" person of attitude, but of ideals, innovation, etc...

LOVE the term "wwoofing style" they ROCK!

T'is true that I'm a knowledgeable & maybe not hard, but surely effective worker... yet I guess I wouldn't consider myself JUST or ONLY a worker, as I've got the ambitions to soon purchase or barter for my own land & grow something as close to tech AND off the land... Like using solar, nothing to fancy for the tech part...

Where are you located? I like to travel as well...

Can I ask what you have as far as production? Livestock? Fruits? Vegies? Herbs? Etc? I'm envisioning a small space or at least limited help, as you've said, or maybe the farm is too far off the beaten path to be able to market anything? Do you have bees? Would love to hear more about what you have?

Thanks again for your HONESTY!

If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.
- Edison, Thomas A.

We have surpluses now of chestnuts, blueberries and sunchokes (sunchokes sell better than Jerusalem Artichokes) We consume all of our own eggs, vegetables, other berries, tea and herbs. We are experimenting with meat rabbits in the orchard and will consume them too. The limiting factors for profits are lack of capital and labor and a high cost of living. There is plenty of demand for local food around here, it's a great community, but getting products to consumers consumes time/labor too. Also, the sad truth is that food is not valued as highly as its necessity would indicate. When the whole system collapses that will be a different story!

We live a simple life here but even though money is a bummer, the bill collectors and doctors prefer it for payment. We are comfortable and have health insurance. My husband works (more than) full time and I am home with the kids and do most of the work myself, or manage the help that does. We have had some really fantastic wwoofers, but sometimes they are a lot of work too!

I hope/expect to have more high value crops in about 5-10 years. We are slowly planting trees and designing resilient systems, which is really rewarding. We have some challenges, like very high deer pressure and very successful invasive weeds, but taking the long view and not trying to live off farm profits gives us a chance to do a good job. We're in it for the long haul, I want my grandchildren to have the option to live off this land. We've built some hugelbeets and some sheet mulched beds and are experimenting all over.

You may already be in Klickitat, but don't miss the amazing folks at Windward Community. They were the site of this year's inaugural Ecosex Convergence, and they are one of the most well-put together permaculture intentional communities I've ever seen - and I've been researching PCIC's for many years. Good luck!

www.alwaysgrowingdesign.weebly.com
"It is, of course, one of the miracles of science that the germs that used to be in our food have been replaced by poisons." - Wendell Berry

Dustin Wilkinson

Posts: 43

posted 4 years ago

Thank you Laura... I'll be on my way west come the end of the month & look forward to stopping by!

If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.
- Edison, Thomas A.

Dustin - you can find out a lot about them on the web: windward.org Especially interesting is the bylaws and "fine print". They have one of the most airtight agreement policies I've ever seen, and it works very well for them in real life. As someone who has been both a member and an originator of intentional community, I am impressed by their really great strategies for keep everyone on the same page.

www.alwaysgrowingdesign.weebly.com
"It is, of course, one of the miracles of science that the germs that used to be in our food have been replaced by poisons." - Wendell Berry

Dustin Wilkinson

Posts: 43

posted 4 years ago

Yes I've done a little research on them & they've definitely created a wonderful work of art!
I'll need to check the "fine print" to see just what you mean but air tight...

Thank you!

If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.
- Edison, Thomas A.

It's a pleasure to see superheros taking such an interest in science. And this tiny ad: